Gift Aid
Discover how Gift Aid could raise more money for your unit – at no cost to your supporters
Gift Aid is a government scheme which encourages people to give to charity.
Under the scheme, money donated to charities – including Girlguiding subscriptions – is eligible for tax relief. That means units can increase its funds by claiming Gift Aid at no extra cost to our supporters! It's an easy and guaranteed way to raise more money.
You can start collecting Gift Aid declarations before you register for Gift Aid. After you register, claims can be backdated for up to four years – so make sure you're not missing out on claimable funds.
Register your unit for Gift Aid
To register your unit to claim Gift Aid, please download and complete the appropriate Gift Aid certificate for your country.
- Gift Aid certificate (England and Wales)
- Gift Aid certificate (Northern Ireland)
- Gift Aid certificate (Scotland)
Charity numbers and Gift Aid
Depending on where your unit is based, you may need to include a charity number on your form.
Units in England and Wales - do not usually need a charity number as they are exempt from charity registration. However if your unit does have an individual charity number you will need to write it on the Gift Aid certificate.
Units in Scotland – must list the unit charity number on the Gift Aid certificate. To get this number, you'll need to register your unit as a charity with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Please see the OSCR website or contact Girlguiding Scotland for advice on registering your unit and activating your Charities Online account if you have one.
Units in Northern Ireland – must list the unit charity number on the Gift Aid certificate. To get this number, you’ll need to register as a charity with the Office of the Northern Ireland Charity Commission. Visit the Northern Ireland Charity Commission website or contact Girlguiding Ulster for advice about registering your unit.
Send your completed certificate to [email protected] or post it to:
Girlguiding Sales & Information Team
Atlantic Street
Broadheath
Altrincham
Cheshire WA14 5EQ
If you send your certificate by email, you must make sure it is password protected. Guidance on how to do this can be found on the Microsoft Office support website.
If you post the certificate to us, we recommend that it is sent by Special Delivery. This cost is a legitimate guiding cost and can be taken from appropriate funds.
When your certificate is received:
- the member details quoted on the certificate will be checked against the Girlguiding membership database
- a Gift Aid application form will be prefilled with the details required and then posted out to you, along with information on how to submit the application form to HMRC.
When HMRC receive all your relevant paperwork, they will register your unit to claim Gift Aid. You will then be contacted by HMRC with a registration number and details of how to submit claims.
Collecting donations
In order to donate, donors must complete a declaration form. These forms are included in the Starting... forms given to new young members, but they can also be downloaded individually below:
- Gift Aid declaration (England and Wales)
- Gift Aid declaration (Northern Ireland)
- Gift Aid declaration (Scotland)
These forms are the most current forms available. Any forms dated before these are not valid from 4 April 2016 following HMRC changes.
Claiming Gift Aid
Our Gift Aid information pack provides information on how to claim gift aid. This document has detailed information on claiming Gift Aid – which you can do online, on paper, or via your own database – as well more information on registration and administration.
Find out more
Download our Gift Aid information pack to find out how you can claim Gift Aid on donations and subs.